Quite Colorful Catchments
Avatar

Quite Colorful Catchments

by Emma Rogers

This photo depicts a field geologist trekking across a steep ridge which divides two small catchments for alluvial fans in Fjallabak Nature Reserve, Iceland. These steep slopes have eroded into scree from the volcanic rocks of the Torfajökull Volcanic System. The striking geology of the region is due to unique interactions between subglacial hyaloclastite ridges, table mountains (tuyas), and silica-rich rhyolite. The region is also host to large, vibrant rhyolite mountains, extensive obsidian lava flows, and geothermal activity.